MIXTURE 9 WARNING: ComicCon-tamination!!!

A severe chemical contamination warning was issued to the attendees of the International ComicCon 2011 in San Diego and the Arbiter was there to save the day! Thousands of comic book and pop-culture fanatics rushed the convention hall with wide-eyed amazement at the latest and greatest in the world of comic books and media. The Project Arbiter crew was there on hand to introduce the short film to this influential audience.

The day started with a quick breakfast at the Joe’s on the Nose coffee truck and the crew immediately charged the convention front with a vengeance. Mike Chance & Vicki de Mey arrived in costume along with Chris Chance (Mike’s brother) dressed as the mighty Arbiter himself. To support the efforts were Traci Hays, Jacob Rangel, Robert Simons, Peggy Chung, Robben Fenderson, Danny Huffman, Bobby Huffman, Robert Strong, Marisa Gérardin and myself (David Bettencourt).

PROJECT ARBITER has arrived at SDCC 2011!

We also ran into Bruce Simmons of CinemaStatic.com who was very excited to see the crew in action to promote the film. He was kind enough to take a few pictures as we moved on towards the downtown area.

Cinema Static's Bruce Simmons gets decontaminated

The crew descended to the streets of the Gaslamp district where eager victims were willing to be examined by our “mad scientists.”

The Arbiter greets the masses

As I gained the crowd’s attention with my trusty bull horn, Doctors Jacob and Mike used a “Scint-Detect X12” to determine whether the attendees were cleared or contaminated. Actually, it was a very clever prop made by Jacob and Mike to add a level of realism to the promotional madness. People were actually following Mike’s directions to raise their arms and stick out their tongues to receive the news whether or not Mixture 9 had entered their bloodstream! Nurse Traci would then give them a synopsis “prescription” on what Project Arbiter is all about and direct them to Officer Vicki and the Arbiter (Chris) for a glamour shot. It was amazing.

Team Arbiter scans San Diegans for Mixture 9 contamination

Meanwhile, there were plenty of photo opportunities to be had with the Arbiter. People were lining up to take a quick snapshot with our titled hero holding up the menacing Thompson Railgun. The design of the suit was well received and other costumed characters were definitely taking notice.

"So you really think you took down Red Skull all by yourself huh? Nice Cap - real nice."

Just one of the guys

The Arbiter and Baby Doll kick some Mixture 9 @$$!

The guys at Blue Realm Studios should be very proud of their work in creating the Arbiter suit because the crowd loved it. Luckily, Vicki was there to make sure that Chris was well-hydrated and looking forward at the cameras.

Minute between the madness, the Arbiter takes a break

After many hours in the bright sun and promoting the heck out of Project Arbiter, the day had come to a close. For many of the crew, it was their first time attending ComicCon. It was definitely well worth the trip.

The Ragtag Decontamination Team

We were all blown away by the immense support and adulation for the Arbiter and the efforts we made to get the entire ComicCon crowd involved. But the work is not over yet! The finishing touches on the final cut of the short film continues to move forward. Please help the cause by engaging with Project Arbiter by liking us on Facebook, watching the trailer on YouTube and following us on Twitter. Thank you for all your support!

Continue to spread the word… ENGAGE!

- David Bettencourt, Co-Producer

Tags: 1940s, Blue Realm, Bobby Doll, Captain America, Chris Chance, Comic Con, ComicCon-tamination, concept short, Contaimination, David Bettencourt, Doctor, Gaslamp, Jacob Rangel, Michael Chance, Mixture 9, Noire, Nurse, Peggy Chung, Project Arbiter, Robert Simons, San Diego, science fiction, short film, Star Wars, Storm Trooper, Stormtroopers, Sucker Punch, Tech, Thompson Railgun, Thompson sub-machine gun, Traci Hays, Tusken Raider, Vicki de Mey, WWII